Parenthood (1989)

This movie was great because it dealt with 'the family', with life, as something messy. It felt more real to me than other movies dealing with the same material because it was almost dark for a family movie. Don't get me wrong... it's not at all depressing or dystopian, but it isn't the typical Disney 'it's all flowers and sunshine' either. It dealt with (granted) stereotypical problems parents and children face. Because all of the families in the movie were related we got to see a bunch of different types of family dynamics, and it was also interesting to note that they interacted normally with each other, even though we the viewers know they all have their problems. There was the single mother who had the two teenage children, so we get to see hormonal problems there. One of those kids has a boyfriend whom she marries early, though they're still high school aged. There is the stereotypical TV family with the early middle aged couple who have three young kids. Steve Martin's the dad in this one so they're kind of the focus family (also because that's the stereotypical family) and they have trouble with their eldest son who has emotional problems. Then there is the child prodigy family, the guy puts everything into making his little kid a genius and ignores his wife, and finally the grandparents who have to deal with one of their kids coming home with a grandchild they've never seen before and a son in debt. 

Big schpeal aside... because the movie addresses actual lows that families go through instead of just supposing those issues and not actually addressing them, the highs they go through are that much more believable. and the roller coaster metaphor at the end of the movie was nice too. at the end they accepted the chaos and tried to make the best of it, which was nice.

I have to be in the mood for it, and when I am this is one of my favourite movies.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

 This story is OK, though it could been better if more effort was put into it. The author doesn't really go out of her way to create dynamic and compelling characters. She surrounds characters with certain feelings and stereotypes, but she doesn't actually do any of the work. This didn't really bother me though, as it does in some other books, because the story is more plot driven than anything else and it's just a light read... nothing intense. 

Basically the story has been done, but it's readable and enjoyable if you like this particular kind of story. so I recommend it, but don't expect anything new.

Chester by Melanie Watt

 The book is an amusing way to pass the time. Basically it's a story about a mouse, but there is a cat who keeps interrupting with the story because he wants it to be about him. So he writes over the author's words and scribbles over the pictures until at the end he takes over the book.

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen

This story was somewhat reminiscent of the Alanna series, what with the cross dressing to fulfill a dream. I'm not all that well versed in Arabian culture, but from what I know of it this story seemed to be a valid representation. Buran is one of seven daughters, and of course in a patriarchal society this is not the best of luck as your daughters can't work or (in this case) even go out into public. She was her father's favourite and as there were no sons, her father taught her to read and write and play chess, basically educated her, and spent time with her in place of the son he never had. When Buran's father gets sick he realizes that his family will be in trouble if anything happens to him, and as a result he allows Buran to go out into the world, as a man, to try to better their family's fortune. She's a clever and courageous heroine. She comes up against several obstacles and approaches them with her strength of will and sharp wit. The story was set up well and the characters were discussed in sufficient detail, or enough so that a reader of the target age wouldn't be left wondering anything. It was well written.

Pan’s Labyrinth

This movie is a masterpiece! Quite honestly I don't know how anyone could watch it and not get sucked in. This movie was told with the air of a classic fairy tale, the real ones, not the watered down versions we give our children today. There is an atmosphere of danger and suspense that constantly surrounds the girl, and in response to that there is a persistent arousal of hope, or fantasy. The girl's environment is not the best, to say the least. She is in some camp under the jurisdiction of some heartless man who has married her mother, and who only cares about producing an heir. Everything around her is militaristic and hard and cold, and yet she continuously bumps into this other world of wonder and mystery, of fairies and fauns and the like. It's like the metaphor of the flower that grows out of concrete. finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.

It's debatable whether she is actually interacting with this other world and that it exists, or if she's creating this world to escape her less than ideal reality. I suppose your answer would come from what kind of person you are and how you perceive the world. I enjoy the experience of believing it is real with a constant skeptic in the back of my mind nay saying everything the believer says, so I guess my view would change depending on what day you chanced upon asking me. The bottom line is that story is very well put together and whether or not you believe the world the girl is interacting with to be real, you'll enjoy it either way. 

A common criticism I hear circling this movie is that it isn't for children. To these people, I don't really know what to say. I'm not sure how it was advertised to you, but from the advertisements I saw I was well aware that the movie was rated R and was a 'fairy tale for grown ups', so to speak. I did still take my younger sibling, but that's something else. If a parent or guardian is not willing to take the time to research a movie or heed the ratings, they shouldn't be allowed to complain about what their children see, as this unwanted event could have been prevented with a little effort on their part.

This movie is wonderful. I tear up at the end every time. For me it really stands out as a work of art against the back drop of the standard of movies we have come to expect will be playing in theaters every Friday night. I'd even go so far as to say that it's a classic in it's own time, or is at least something to be aware of. But it's definitely awesome.

Vampire Journals (1997)

Well, I'd say I'm kind of into the vampire scene. It's not my number one obsession, but I do appreciate a good vampire story. This movie was, well just OK. This movie wasn't really fresh, the 'vampire who cares about what he's eating' character seems to be explored a lot, so I kind of knew what was coming, but this wasn't what held it back from being great. What I didn't like was the fact that at the end of the movie I was still waiting for something to happen. The movie spends too much time introducing the characters and the setting and not enough actually dealing with what it has created. Basically I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters, enough so that the achieving or failure of achieving their goals were irrelevant to me. Right now if I was asked, 'Who is Zachery?' I would know who he is from the stereotypes surrounding that character type, but the movie didn't go into enough detail concerning his personality, his motives, his history... I could have told you who Zachery was without watching the movie. 

Basically the characters were kind of flat.

And the movie is all suspense, but the ending isn't a sufficient catharsis. Maybe because I wasn't that drawn into the characters the ending didn't quite satisfy me. There wasn't enough happening in the story, or more, what was happening wasn't fleshed out to its full potential, leaving me wanting more... but not in a good way.

Aside from my criticisms however, the movie is worth viewing and isn't that bad. The music was alright and the costumes weren't bad. The setting wasn't too bad either. The atmosphere was appropriate I think. All in all worth a watch.

The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo

 This was a great story! And according to the back of the book, is the story 'The Anklet' from the Arabian Nights. I thought it was very well told, I didn't really like the pictures though. They kind of look like figures posing instead of characters in the story, and there are noticeable outlines around the people so as to make you think they're cut outs, or are not a part of the scenery they're presented in. The over posing and the not fitting into the background kind of reminds me of cheesy picture books I read from the 80's. Now these pictures aren't as bad as those, but the way they are presented are reminiscent of that... style. I still like the book and think it's worth reading as the storytelling was well done.